St. Louis, Missouri (June 30, 1998)-Close to 1300
commissioners gathered for the 26th General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church in America (PCA). The annual meeting began Tuesday afternoon
with the customary communion service.

Sam Duncan, an attorney from Hattiesburg, MS, gave
the Retiring Moderator's sermon. Using Ephesians 2:8-10 and James
2:14-17, he focused "on the interplay between faith and obedience"
in three areas: denominational; presbytery and local church; and
"our own lives."

Mr. Duncan made reference to the retiring moderator's
sermon by his predecessor (Dr. Charles McGowan), in warning the
church against "embracing the gods of our culture."
He averred that "we are only one generation away from apostasy";
adding, with reference to the 2nd Commandment, that "The
unfaithfulness of fathers always leads to the unfaithfulness of
the children." In order to avoid "the seeds of apostasy
[which] are all around us," Mr. Duncan stated that the PCA
must remain faithful to her founding standards: chiefly the Bible,
then the doctrinal standards.

Referring to the current debate on Creation and the
meaning of the word "day" in Genesis 1, the Mississippi
lawyer commended the advice of Dr. Bryan Chapell, President of
Covenant Theological Seminary, that we "not go beyond Scripture."
But Mr. Duncan also stated that "while implementing his
wise counsel, we must always be wary of going into liberalism
as Princeton [Theological Seminary] or the old PCUS." Further,
Genesis 1 must "never be viewed as poetic in any way."

With regard to presbyteries and local churches, the
ruling elder exhorted the commissioners to "make sure that
officers are well trained" and that "they put their
faith into practice." Speaking of his experience at First
Presbyterian of Hattiesburg, he said that too often the view of
the church with respect to discipline has been "hear no evil,
see no evil, speak no evil." Mr. Duncan urged a return to
Biblical discipline-an emphasis which he has been heartened to
see in various congregations. He encouraged the men to "stand
firm to have qualified and dedicated men serving in office";
adding: "Don't lower your standards, just to get men into
office."

With regard to one's personal life, the Retiring
Moderator appealed to I Timothy 5:8 and taking care of one's loved
ones. Referring to his own support of his mother and grandmother
in their need, he told how the Lord had blessed him for the care
he had displayed.

The forty year old barrister believes that the PCA
has "passed through its adolescent years and is maturing."
He expressed gratitude to the founders of the PCA, and said:
"And I just hope that my generation will be as faithful as
that generation."

Admitting that "the PCA is not without its share
of serious issues," he stated: "I'm encouraged by the
presence of these issues," since it forces him to re-consider
what the Bible says about them. "I'm grateful to the men
who bring these concerns," said Mr. Duncan.

In concluding remarks, he opined that "the PCA
will rise or fall with the ruling elders." He urged that
Sessions "not act solely as boards of directors."

KENNEDY SMARTT ELECTED MODERATOR

St. Louis, Missouri (June 30, 1998)-In its silver
anniversary year, the Presbyterian Church in America elected one
of its founding fathers as Moderator. The Rev. Dr. Kennedy Smartt,
well-known throughout the denomination for his wit and his evangelistic
enthusiasm, was elected without opposition.

It was a poignant moment for Mr. Smartt, who accepted
the nomination only because his long-time friend, Dr. Don Patterson,
who would have been nominated, was unable to be at the Assembly.
Dr. Patterson, Chairman of the 25th Anniversary Celebration Committee,
is in an extremely weakened condition from chemotherapy. Upon
the suggestion of Moderator Smartt, and upon motion by Dr. Morton
H. Smith, the PCA's initial Stated Clerk, the General Assembly
stood in support of a motion to name Dr. Patterson as Honorary
Moderator. Later in the day, it was reported that Don Patterson
had been taken from his home to the hospital. While very weak,
he was conscious, and expressed his gratitude at the honor bestowed
on him by the Assembly. [MORE]

Shortly after his election, Dr. Smartt remarked that
this was first time that an assistant pastor had been elected
moderator: "So, assistant pastors, unite!" Besides
his current position of Assistant Pastor at Chestnut Mountain
(GA) Presbyterian Church, he has served as Pastor at two churches
in Georgia and, for fifteen years, at West End Presbyterian Church,
Hopewell, VA. He has also worked for the denominational Mission
to the World and Mission to North America Committees.

A graduate of Davidson College and Columbia Theological
Seminary (Decatur, GA), Dr. Smartt was awarded an honorary D.D.
by the Atlanta School of Biblical Studies in 1993. He is the
author of I Am Reminded, an anecdotal history of the PCA.

JAMES BOICE CALLS FOR FAITHFULNESS TO
THE SCRIPTURES

St. Louis, Missouri (June 30, 1998)-The Twenty-fifth
Anniversary Celebration Committee of the Presbyterian Church in
America chose three speakers to preach on each of the three themes
of the denomination's original motto: "True to the Scriptures,
the Reformed faith, and obedient to the Great Commission."
Tonight, Dr. James M. Boice, Pastor of Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian
Church, exhorted the commissioners to remain faithful to the Word
of God.

Long noted for his leadership on the matter of fidelity
to Scripture, Dr. Boice stated that faithfulness to the Bible
means not only adherence to the doctrine of inerrancy but also
to Scripture's sufficiency. He specifically addressed several
areas, including evangelism, sanctification, guidance, and social
reform, in urging that the Bible is sufficient in all of them.

With regard to the first category, the veteran pastor
expressed his dismay at the increasing loss of traditional practices
of worship in the evangelical world and even in the PCA. He particularly
decried the fact that significant readings of Scripture and pastoral
prayers are often being omitted in public worship; and that sermons
today often do not entail the exegesis of a passage of Scripture.

In terms of sanctification, he urged that the answer
is knowledge of Christian doctrine-something of which there is
decreasing knowledge today.

In contrast to those who would seek extra-Scriptural
revelation, Dr. Boice emphasized a return to the Reformed doctrine
of sola Scriptura.

And with regard to social reform, the European-educated
minister pointed out that Geneva was radically transformed by
John Calvin-not by social programs per se, but by faithful preaching
of the Bible.

PAUL SETTLE TELLS OF THE BACKGROUND OF
THE PCA

St. Louis, Missouri (June 30, 1998)-One of the founders
of the Presbyterian Church in America, Paul Settle recounted the
history which led to the founding of the denomination. His remarks
came as part of the denominational celebration of its twenty-fifth
anniversary.

At one time an employee of Presbyterian Churchmen
United, one of the four organizations which in 1971 called for
the formation of a new church, Mr. Settle told of the struggles
and tears which accompanied the efforts to reform the Southern
Presbyterian Church. After many years of attempting, unsuccessfully,
to call the old denomination back to the Scriptures and the Reformed
faith, separation became, in the founders' eyes, the only option.
Utilizing the insights of Francis Schaeffer, those who formed
the PCA viewed their ecclesiastical separation as an act of "discipline
in reverse" [i.e., because the minority did not have the
strength or votes to remove heretics, the minority needed to separate
from the erring majority as an act of discipline-Ed.]

ITEMS ON THE AGENDA FOR WEDNESDAY

Among the items on the docket for Wednesday, July
1st, are these:

*Interchurch Relations Committee: Controversy on
the floor of the Assembly may have been averted, as a unanimous
Committee of Commissioners recommendation deals with Overture
11 (from Northeast Presbytery) and a near unanimous recommendation
with Overture 22 (from Ascension Presbytery).

*Bills and Overtures: Will the Assembly erect a special
committee to study Creation?